So... I should probably be updating Two Worlds Collide, but... I'm kinda stuck with that at the moment... OTL I was struck with this idea... I don't know how. I think it was sometime while I was watching The Big Bang Theory... *shrugs* ANYWHO, without further ado (Ooh, that rhymed!) I present to you-
Breaking the Silence, Chapter One!
Lili sits in the back seat of the cab, her head bowed down over her notepad. Although the car seems to be hopping along the bumpy road, she manages to write neatly. Every so often, she looks up, out the window, to the clear, blue sky outside.
"So, like, what are you writing back there?" asks the taxi driver, as he blows a strand of chin-length blonde hair out of his face. "You're totally the quietest passenger I've ever had." Without raising her head, she answers.
"I'm writing a letter to my brother."
"So she finally speaks!" he laughs. "For a moment, I thought you were, like, mute."
Lili continues to write, despite his interruptions, slightly irritated. She brushes it off however- she was not raised to hold a grudge. A few minutes later, she looks up again, noticing all the brick buildings that surround the road. "These houses all look old…" she comments, absent-mindedly, as she puts her notepad and pen in her bag.
"Yeah… it's like, totally creepy."
"I like it."
"Oh. So… what are you doing here, anyway?"
"I'm afraid that I can't tell you," she says politely, looking out the window. "The client asked for it to remain confidential."
"Aw, don't worry! You can totally trust me!"
Somehow, Lili doubts that she can. "Well… I guess I can tell you one thing. I'm… sort of like a psychologist."
"Uh… okay…" He's not sure how to respond. "Well, hate to bring this conversation to a stop, but… we're here."
"Thank you, Mr Łukasiewicz. How much do I owe you?" she asks, picking her bag up from the floor of the cab.
"Fifteen dollars. I'm giving you a special, 'cause you didn't make a mess back there."
"Danke schon, Mr Łukasiewicz." She hands him the money, and gets out of the car.
"Do you, like, need help or something?"
"No, I'll be fine, thank you." He unlocks the boot, and Lili gets her rolling suitcase out. As she goes to leave, Feliks beckons her over. "Hey, um…" he says, quietly. "You're, like… not here to see the Braginskis, are you…?"
"Ja, why?" Lili asks, slowly.
"No reason," he says slowly, before talking again. "But listen, if you need me to come back, don't let anyo- anything stop you, okay? Just call, no matter what happens."
"Um, alright…" Now it's Lili's turn to be confused.
"Well, see ya later!" And with that, Feliks drives off. Lili watches the yellow car fade into the distance before she walks up the garden path, rolling her suitcase behind her. When she reached the front door, she took a moment to breathe, and gather her thoughts, before knocking.
She waits outside for five minutes, eventually hearing footsteps approach the door, which opens slowly, almost as if this were a horror movie.
The girl that stands in the doorway has blonde hair that falls in a sheet down her back, and looks to be in her early twenties. She gives Lili a slight glare, crossing her arms.
"Who are you?" she asks, harshly, and Lili is suddenly struck with fear.
"I'm… Lili… Lili Zwingli?" she says, almost as if she's unsure of her own name. "Are you Ye-"
"So you're Lili. Yekaterina's inside," the girl says, turning promptly on her heel. For a few moments, Lili stands at the doorway, deciding whether or not to follow her. After mentally debating with herself, she follows the sound of the woman's footsteps, to what she assumes is the living room.
As she gets closer, she hears two female voices, conversing in a language she doesn't understand. One voice is cold and unfriendly. The other sounded exactly the opposite. Lili finds herself once again standing in a doorway, except this time she's able to see what's going on.
The woman from before is talking to another woman, this one with shorter blonde hair. She is the one with the friendly voice. Lili also sees a blonde man, sitting in an armchair on the opposite side of the room, watching the conversation as well. Even though she doesn't understand what they were saying, she can tell that the two women are arguing. She knocks on the door frame, unable to take this tension much longer.
"Um… hello?"
The woman with short hair turns to face her, and smiles. "Lili! Sestra was just telling me you were here!" She stands up from her seat, and walks over to the door to embrace Lili, who politely refuses. "It's lovely to finally meet you!"
"And you too, Miss Yekaterina."
Yekaterina laughs. "Call me Katyusha. Only Nata calls me by my full name." At the mention of 'Nata', she gestures to the other woman. "Lili, this is my younger sister, Natalya." Lili extends a hand to the woman, who merely glares at her, her arms still crossed, no attempt to be friendly. "Natalya…" groans the older sister. "You could try to be nice…"
"I don't know why she's here," Natalya says, casting a glance towards the man in the armchair, the only one in the room not to say anything.
Yekaterina's smile returns, somewhat forced, and she gestures towards the man. "And this is my little brother- Natalya's older brother- Ivan."
Lili smiles at the man, and says hello. His violet eyes widen momentarily. He smiles too, but looks like he is trying to sink into the chair.
"Ivan, will you say hello to Lili?" Yekaterina says kindly, turning to face him. He shifts uncomfortably, before he slowly stands up, and leaves the room. A fluffy, grey cat, who had been hiding behind the armchair, follows him. Yekaterina follows, too, calling his name sternly. "Ivan!"
His bedroom door closes, and Yekaterina returns to the living room, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "H-he's not being rude… he's just…"
"Well… that's why you asked me to come, ja?"
"Yes, precisely."
"What?! Yekaterina, what's going on?!"
"Natalya…" she says, cautiously. "I asked Lili to come here because… because I… because we need help." She begins to choke up, but notices the confused look her sister gives her. "W-with Ivan."
"I can help big brother!"
"No offense, Nata… but you scare him." It hurts Yekaterina to say it, but it's true. Natalya scoffs, and leaves the room quickly, muttering to herself. "Oh dear…" Yekaterina mumbles, wiping the wetness from her eyes. "I'm afraid we haven't made much of a first impression, have we…?"
"It's alright. First impressions are often misleading."
Yekaterina's smile returns, this time, not forced. "You're kind, Lili. Would you like me to show you to your room?"
"Yes please," Lili replies, readjusting her suitcase. She follows Yekaterina down another hallway, on the opposite side of the living room. There are various printed photographs on the walls. They mostly include the two sisters, and sometimes Ivan. In all of the pictures, all three siblings are smiling happily. Soon, they reach the end of the hallway.
"Here's your room. I hope you like it. There are spare blankets in the cupboard just there. Um… feel free to wander around. Only the bedrooms are 'off-limits'," Yekaterina says, finding this whole situation awkward. She smiles, before heading back into the living room. Lili hears the sounds of a television show as she closes the door.
She takes a look around the room. Pale blue wallpaper, and a white carpet. Much different to the old-fashioned wood panelling of the rest of the house. A single bed stands in the corner. There is also a nightstand, a desk, and a wardrobe. Lili packs away her clothes, making a mental note to ask Yekaterina where the local post office is, to send the letter to her brother.
So... I tried writing in present tense. Does it work? Or should I change it to past tense?
Normally, I would say a little bit about the backstory... but that's part of the story.
And yes. There will be future RussLiech. It's me, what can you expect...?
Farewell for now, and please leave a review telling me what you think!
Have a nice day~! :)